Post Brexit Vote: We’re putting the band back together

I won’t dwell too much on the result. I have a lot of sympathy for the concept of shaking up the establishment. I really want an angry working class to take the power back in order to fight for a better quality of life and democracy. I get it.

Problem is, that wasn’t an option in this EU referendum. The UK system of government is unrepresentative and although one side pretended to be anti establishment this referendum was really a proxy war between the centre right and the far right of the Tory party. And, thanks to the working classes who fell for the bullshit, the far right won. In the next few rushed years, new trade deals will need be negotiated and the whole of UK law will need to be rewritten, and it is all going to be overseen by the nemeses of equality and social justice. It is those working class revolutionaries who voted for a better standard of living who are going to take the brunt of the resulting pain.

That’s Democracy though so we just have to accept it.

Except it’s not. Not here in Scotland. In the words of Alison Thewliss on Twitter:

A Government Scotland didn’t elect held a referendum we didn’t want, which is now removing us from the EU against our will.

The Brexiteers, most of whom are English, were banging on about England’s lack of sovereignty, however the result of the referendum shows that the UK is sovereign. It is a sovereign nation who chose to cede some power to a supranational organisation in exchange for a host of benefits. It has now used that sovereign power and has decided to leave.

Democratic Deficit

However, the results highlight that the nation of Scotland is not sovereign. Which is one of the key points we were making in 2014. Then we voted for what the deluded Brexiteers thought they were voting for this time. We voted for a country in which we could elect our own governments. We voted for a country where we could stay in the EU if we wanted to. We voted for a country with a political system that was representative and therefore truly democratic.

I have taken some flack within the circles of people who follow the blog for holding an olive branch for the UK. I am a soft nationalist. If the UK was fair, if the UK had a proportional system, if the UK had a more federal system with power devolved to the regions, then I would probably be happy remaining. For me a fair UK would be worth ceding a bit of sovereignty to. Under those circumstances I may have even voted for a Brexit.

However, over the years I have lost all faith in UK reform and yesterday was the last straw.

The time is right for Scotland to do what the Brexiteers were trying to do and take back democracy and grasp our own sovereignty, and if this realisation is not today dawning on those pro Europeans who voted No in 2014 then it never will. Then we might as well give up on our nationhood and let ourselves be dragged down the gutter by our nearest neighbour.

The problem with voting Brexit for Democracy

England thought they were voting for a noble cause. However, they failed to realise that they were already sovereign and they failed to realise their problems stem from a lack of representation. They mixed the two concepts up and took action that made their lack of representation worse. However undemocratic, England is a nation in control of its destiny. Scotland is a nation too but it is one that is subsumed by England. We can no longer shade our eyes from the fact that we have little control over our fate.

It will be a rocky road. There are many complex constitutional issues to solve and the process of breaking up is going to cause much instability. I understand why so many voted to avoid that instability in 2014, however the broad shouldered surety of union people were sold then does not exist. Just take a look at the value of the pound to understand this. This is just the beginning of the post Brexit chaos to come.

This chaos is unavoidable now and the only dilemma is how do we choose to navigate it. It will be messy either way.

I hope to take my chances within our small, representative, dynamic, outward looking country nestled in the family of European nations. The insular, self-harming, anti intellectual UK is moving in the wrong direction, and the chasm which has appeared due to the divergence of our politics looks unbridgeable. I hope that many who disagreed with me in 2014 will now be at my side.